The Path to Patient Empowerment

August 23, 2010

Progress is being made - finally!!

After many, many years of advocacy, research, volunteering and yes, even prayers (!), we are starting to see a massive change in the philosophy of healthcare delivery personnel -- maybe it is a good thing if patients were more involved in managing their care!

Over the next little while, you will begin to see more material posted here on the progress that is being made. We will discuss the role of the patient, the family caregiver and the provider in this movement. In addition we will provide links to other sites and initiatives that share the vision and are working toward making this vision a reality.

To begin this revitilization, here is a short description of what we refer to as the patient role.

Patient Destiny: The Role of the Patient in Patient Care

There is an inevitable evolution taking place in health care. It’s called Patient Destiny, and it is rooted in the fact that patients are beginning to demand immediate and timely access to their own personal health information. Patients want this access so they can partner effectively with healthcare providers in the management of their health and wellness.

The ultimate goal of Patient Destiny is an informed patient: a person who has all the appropriate information in hand and who is, thereby, able to work within the system to obtain the best healthcare services and outcomes. With a vision of “One Patient, One Record,” Patient Destiny believes in developing an electronic health record (EHR) for all Ontarians that can be accessed by the continuum of healthcare providers as well as by patients themselves, which we believe will then lead to improved health outcomes.

Through organized “One Patient, One Record” symposia, Patient Destiny is following an innovative approach by inviting both patients and healthcare personnel to the table to engage in dialogue about how to promote patient eHealth. The results of discussions to date show that both groups strongly support patients being able to access their health information. Efforts are underway to achieve the following recommendations: